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What To Do When You Are Lost

I find myself having a hard time lately. You see, when we grow up and are sent to school we are put on a particular path. The teacher provides lessons and tests that cover those lessons. You are given a way to go and sent down that way. If you are fortunate enough to go to college, then you find that the pattern remains.

There are battles to fight, wars to win, problems to find solutions for. You are not worried about yourself so much as you are worried about finding those innovative and important solutions. But these are the paths that many others have walked before.

If there was ever a correct definition of what it meant to actually become part of the “real world” it would be that world in which your life is not split up into levels, grades, and semesters. In fact, it is not split up at all. When you finished a grade, a course, or a degree, you left that place with a sense of accomplishment. You took a step up the staircase, if at least only one. It was still a step, and you were proud of it.

Now, you find yourself in that place where there are no steps upward, just an endless path forward. There are no winter breaks, you end up having to work most holidays, and there is no way in hell you will get another summer.

All this learning, all of this education, and most of the actual working world is nothing like it. And so, you spend your time wondering if the path upwards is somewhere nearby, waiting to be found.

Lost Only For A Little While

[quote style=”boxed”]”If I am lost, it’s only for a little while.” – Band of Horses[/quote]

All too often we feel like we are just wasting time, throwing away the years getting nothing accomplished. But there is nothing wrong with being lost, unless you just give up. This is the time to keep moving forward, and keep your head up looking around.

There are different ways to look at normal situations.

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How can I do this differently than before?

How could this situation make me a better person?

How could I get more out of this place?

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These questions don’t require you to completely change yourself, just keep your eyes open while doing the same things you have done before.

Keep aware of what is going on. This is how you will be keen to opportunities that may present themselves.

There are certain ways to look at yourself.

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What is it I truly value?

What do I want to get out of this life?

How can I increase my daily energy? Am I holding myself back?

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If you see a theme here it is that while lost, your thinking should not be lost. Try to think clearly and concisely about what is going on around you. Look for the tough questions, the ones that really mean something to you and try to answer them with significant solutions.

Doing these things does not require a change in daily routine. And that’s okay. Save your energy. But when you see the need for action do not hesitate one bit, because opportunities rarely present themselves twice. Appreciate your chance to really do something amazing.

So be lost, at least for a little while. But use that directionless time to explore, to really take time to see what is important. And when you find that, act with all of your fury. Attain it at all costs. Acting in this way will allow yourself to see what you can actually achieve.

Mitchell Sahlfeld

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About Mitchell Sahlfeld

Mitchell Sahlfeld graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy where he also garnered two NCAA Division II Track and Field All-American Honors and one Academic All-American Honor. He is most interested in the topics of philosophy of education, how we learn, and how to live well.

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